in new york, new jersey and connecticut, more than 20% of homes were damaged. hud is already assisting affected state and local governments. immediately following the storm, we hosted a call to help grantees understand how existing resources may be used for response and recovery efforts. further, hud has issued a waiver to make it easier to receive funds for emergency needs. as you know, sandy recovery and rebuilding include $17 billion in disaster recovery. this allocation will provide the necessary resources to plan and implement long-term recovery in the region, while helping impact did -- infected communiques -- communities -- while helping communities.munich t mitigation efforts have been found to provide a $41 return on investment. allocation of $40 million allowed for the rebuilding of stronger and safer wastewater facilities the were able to operate without disruption despite serious storms and flooding. we offer important flexibility and effectiveness by allowing jurisdictions to sign long-term housing and infrastructure recovery programs based on spec